How They All Reacted
by Seyary-Minamoto
Summary: The relationship between Sokka and Azula has finally bloomed, but regardless their feelings for each other, they must face the greatest challenge they've seen so far: letting their friends and family know about their romantic involvement. Sequel to The Reason.
1. Prologue

**And I've returned! With a short-term fic, I'd say XD It's not bound to be updated too often, because it doesn't have a huge storyline... but I hope you enjoy it just as much as you've liked everything else so far ^^ Once more we're in the same timeline that I used in The Reason, The Origins Of Pro-Bending and Break In, but I'm going to warn you guys that in future fics, I'm not bound to stay in this particular story ^^U I used to think I'd never stray from this storyline since I wrote it to show Sokkla could happen within the canon Avatarverse despite how unlikely it seems on a first glance, but I already proved that point and I'm dying to write more and more Sokkla magic! XD**

**I have tons of ideas for other storylines, but so far I'm unsure as of which one to post... not to mention my life is getting way busier now _ So I decided to publish this small side story that will tell you what I didn't have time to explain properly in The Reason: How They All Reacted.**

**It was supposed to be How They All Found Out but you already saw how Aang, Katara and Toph found out XD So... the theme is the way many characters will face our favorite couple's union XD Who knows what this fic will lead me to eventually... but for now, enjoy the Prologue and I'll try to update soon ^^ hope you like it! Reviews are most welcome, as usual XD Enjoy!**

Night had already fallen by the time the two of them decided to head back to the Royal Palace. Hand in hand they had walked together until they reached her room, and by the time they had, they were reluctant to separate again.

"Do you have to go?" asked Azula, intertwining her fingers with his.

"I guess I do" muttered Sokka, kissing her brow "But don't worry, I'll see you tomorrow morning as soon as I get up"

"You'd better" she said, closing in and letting her head rest on his chest again.

She'd never felt such joy in her life. Maybe she had been happy once or twice during her childhood, but none of that compared to the sheer glee she felt just by knowing she was loved by the man who held her closely, the man she had fallen in love with as well...

"I still can't believe this" said Sokka, grinning "It's amazing... but unbelievable anyway"

Azula chuckled and nodded slightly

"Never in my life would I have imagined I'd find my happiness next to a peasant such as yourself" she said, and even though it was a cruel comment, she said it with such sweetness that Sokka didn't even notice she had called him a peasant

"Nor would I have thought the all-mighty Princess Azula would think of me as a potential partner, to say the least" said Sokka, hugging her tightly "I'm completely sure nobody else would have imagined this could happen either..."

"They can jump off a cliff if they don't want to see us together" said Azula, caressing his chest "Unless, by any chance, you're willing to let the opinions of others to influence yours..."

"Not a chance" he said, shaking his head "I want to be with you with every fiber of my being. If they don't like it, they can whine as much as they want, but I'm not letting go of you ever again"

Azula smiled uncontrollably after hearing him comply with what she wished to hear him say. She snuggled even closer to him, making Sokka grin as well... but there was actually a trace of doubt on his face, and he took Azula by surprise when he finally breached the subject...

"Nonetheless... We really should think about telling the people we care about of our relationship"

Azula pulled away drastically, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

"What?"

"Don't get me wrong" said Sokka, laughing as he caressed her hair gently "I meant what I said about not letting go of you no matter what, but even so, we really should tell them of what's going between us now"

Azula grimaced in irritation. Sure she loved him... but there were a few things she most definitely wouldn't want to do, and briefing the world about her relationship with him was a high ranked item within that list.

"Come on, Azula, don't give me that look" he said, patting her on the head.

"I understand you have an army of acquaintances you'd like to inform of our new relationship, but I don't owe anyone an explanation, and neither do you. They can find out through their own means."

"I figured you'd respond like this" said Sokka, sighing dramatically "The thing is... if Ty Lee were to become involved with someone, she'd tell you right away, wouldn't she?"

"It's likely, yes... but I'm not like her, I have no intentions to boast around about being in love, I find it unnecessary."

"Well, maybe I'm the one who feels the urge to tell others, then." he stated proudly, annoying the Princess.

"I'm starting to regret this..."she lied, making him laugh.

"Okay, okay, let me rephrase myself" muttered Sokka "In every friendly relationship, you're supposed to share important events with your friends, especially those about new romantic involvements. I found out about Aang and Katara in quite a bad way, to be honest..."

"How?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow.

"I caught them in the middle of kissing when we were at Iroh's teashop, and believe me, it wasn't something fun for me to watch. It would have been much better if they'd told me they were going to start a relationship before I ran into them doing something like that..."

"You talk as if you thought kissing was disgusting..." said Azula, eyeing him with interest

"It's disgusting when you're watching your sister sharing saliva with one of your best friends" replied Sokka bitterly.

"I guess I can understand how you feel" said Azula "I found myself interrupting Mai and Zuko's kisses several times, it was really awkward for me witness them and they hardly cared at all if their public display of affection annoyed others..."

"Which is why we should tell people about our relationship" said Sokka "I know you'll probably feel inclined to give Zuko payback for all the awkwardness, but we should show them we're far more thoughtful than they are, which automatically makes us of higher category than them!"

"Your final statement hardly makes any sense, in my opinion. If we tell anyone about this, they'll try to talk us out of being a couple, they're not going to care if we're thoughtful or not. And yes, they deserve payback, both Zuko and your sister"

"And what better payback than telling them about this in our own terms?" he asked, holding her by the waist "Think about it..."

Azula sighed, thoughtful. She truly felt no motivation to explain anything to anyone, but she was indebted to her brother, he'd held her as she cried not too long ago... maybe a way to reward him for his services would be to inform him about her brand new relationship...

"What exactly do you have in mind, then?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow

"Nothing so far, to be honest" said Sokka, smiling "I just want for the two of us to reach an agreement in the first place. Can we tell others about this, or do you refuse completely to do so?"

He caressed her cheek when he finished posing his question, making her forget about her pride in a heartbeat.

"My head begs me to take the second option, but I guess I'll choose the first one regardless..." she decided, and he grinned enthusiastically at her.

"Thank you" he said, and Azula found herself smiling too "Now... who should we tell first?"

"Do we have to decide that too?" she asked, hoping to change the subject somehow.

"I think we should" said Sokka "After all, aren't you the one who keeps telling me not to forget about tiny details?"

Azula knew he was playing her, but she couldn't deny he was right.

"You're surprisingly smooth for a peasant, you know?"

"I do my best" he declared, proudly

"Very well, let's figure this out. By the time we break the news to Zuko, we should have someone else to back us up"

"Ty Lee could do that" suggested Sokka "Before finding you, I ran into her, and even though she looked real mad at me for all the grief I'd caused you, she seemed really happy when I told her I wanted to be with you"

"So... she knows about us already?" muttered Azula

"She doesn't know you accepted me" stated Sokka, grinning "But when I told her I loved you she began rooting for me right away"

"It's not hard to believe" said Azula "She is the type to ravish in fairytale-like love stories"

"You think this is a fairytale love?" asked Sokka, smirking at her

"The Princess falls in love with a Peasant" she muttered "How cheesier could it get?"

Sokka chuckled and caressed her cheek kindly

"Yeah, it's corny... but it mustn't bother you so much if you signed up despite that" he said

"Wrong" muttered Azula, drawing closer "I actually signed up hoping for that"

Her words and body language beckoned him to lean down and hold her close as their lips joined together again. Their hearts basked in the feeling, their entire bodies thrived with joy, and their souls soared as they seemed to become one thanks to the contact, thanks to that kiss...

It felt like only seconds had passed when they separated, eager for air. They both smiled and kept their foreheads pressed to each other

"So... we'll have Ty Lee as support?" asked Sokka, but Azula grimaced at the thought.

"We could use her... but I don't know of how much help she will be. As a matter of fact, Zuko might go on a rampage and the fewer victims on his way, the better for everyone"

"Gee, now you're thinking about the well-being of everyone... this I didn't see coming" he said smiling

"Not of everyone, I'll say" Azula added "However, I don't think we need to worry much about Zuko... your sister seems to be a bigger threat. You get along with Zuko, but she hates everything about me, to say the least"

"So you think we don't need back-up to face Zuko... but we do with Katara, huh? Well, I didn't really draw out plans for telling her at all... I mean, she was bound to find out at some point, but not so soon..."

"Then I assume you mean we have time to let somebody else in on it before we break it out to her, in hopes they will stand on our side much like you expected from Ty Lee with Zuko. Who do you have in mind?"

Sokka frowned and meditated for a second until he found an answer

"I'm thinking Toph is a good candidate for that. If we told Aang, he'd never be able to keep the secret without her noticing, and I don't think Zuko would stand for us at all. Fact is, he'd probably be counting on Katara to beat us up and force us to break up"

"You believe the blind girl be fine with this?" asked Azula, doubtful

"She'll think I'm insane, but she'll probably think we're a good combination because you'll have no problems in beating me up whenever you feel like it"

"Huh, sounds like a plan..." smirked Azula, making Sokka pout

"Hey!"

"Okay, only if you ask for it" she said, laughing

Sokka should have been offended, but hearing her laugh so carelessly was such a sight to behold that he couldn't do anything but beam as she looked up at him

"W-what are you smiling at?" she asked, surprised

"You, of course" he said, so direct and sincerely that she found herself blushing uncontrollably.

"There's a limit to how much sweetness I can stand..." she muttered, trying to hide she was actually happy at his previous response.

"Oh, sorry" he said, chuckling "It's been too much to take during these few hours, right?"

"Maybe" said Azula, since she truthfully didn't wish for his romantic advances to cease

"I get it, too much sugar can make you sick" said Sokka chuckling "See you tomorrow, I guess..."

"Uh... so we're telling Zuko? We're telling him tomorrow?" asked Azula

"I guess... and I can send a letter to Toph tomorrow morning as well" suggested Sokka

"A letter? She's blind, Sokka" muttered Azula, smirking at his genius solution

"She's got students who can read aloud for her" said Sokka

"So her students are going to find out about us before your sister does...?" she asked, and Sokka shrugged

"It's not the conventional take upon these matters, but can you blame me? Katara will kill us both when she finds out"

"She'll become even more unreasonable if she discovers you told others before telling her"

"And that's the reason why we'll tell her when Aang's there, so he can soothe her if she flips out. If things get out of hand, we can make a run for it, commandeer Appa and leave before she gets a chance to kill us" he said cheerfully, making her chuckle

"Seems like you thought things through for once" she said, and he smiled proudly

"Have I impressed you?" asked Sokka

"You have, even though I hate to admit it. And I'm not just talking about your plans when I say that"

"What are you talking about, then?"

She set her head on his shoulder, her face against the base of his neck as she whispered an answer, sending pleasant shivers down his spine.

"I'm talking about everything you've done lately... everything I've learned about you. All those things that made me fall in love with you... because I wouldn't have grown interested in you at all if you hadn't impressed me in the first place"

Sokka chuckled and smiled gently at the girl in his arms

"I'll never understand how a beautiful princess like you fell in love with a dumb peasant like me"

"You can spend the rest of your life trying to understand it, then" she muttered "As long as that's the plan you have in mind, of course..."

"Nothing would make me happier than that" he said, lifting her chin and joining his lips with hers yet again.

Their bodies were pressed together against each other in perfect harmony, as if they had been made to complement each other in every possible way. Azula held onto his shirt as he cradled her in his arms surrounding her waist and the contact between them urged them to continue touching, continue merging their souls together to become one entity...

As usual, the need for air forced Azula to withdraw. As the firebender she was, being breathless caused her slight anguish, and despite how she loved feeling his lips against hers, she recoiled slightly and panted, her hand caressing his cheek lovingly

"See you tomorrow?" he asked, smiling between his own gasps for breath

She nodded and pecked his lips one last time; he caught hers and kissed her softly, making her swoon and beam with joy when they finally parted

"See you..." she muttered, and she exerted all her willpower to step away from him.

Sokka let go of her waist reluctantly, feeling slightly at a loss when the contact between them ceased, but the way she glanced at him when she walked inside her room gave him more than enough to cut across his mild despair and grin happily, feeling complete even when they were parting for the night. Azula smiled at him with sweetness, something that she wasn't used to doing, something she thought she was unable to do...

"Bye..." she whispered, and Sokka waved clumsily at her

"See you, Azula..." he replied, and she closed the door behind her, despite she was completely unwilling to distance herself from him, but she knew she would see him the next day...

She started laughing uncontrollably, basking in the joy of her finally realized love. Even if he wasn't with her right now, he had promised to be by her side from now on... and that was more than she ever expected. She had never felt so fulfilled in her life... and to think she used to disdain people who fell in love, calling them fools, claiming they were simply unable to live alone... was she like that now? Was she a fool depending on others to obtain her happiness? She hated to think she had been wrong... but truth to be told, she didn't think she had been. She was unable to live without Sokka anymore, and she was also a fool to have fallen for such a crazed peasant... but being a fool had never been so appealing, so enjoyable, so thrilling. She dropped on her bed, a huge smile spreading on her features, as she closed her eyes waiting for sleep to take over her so that she could meet the man she loved once again...

Sokka returned to his room, smiling non-stop. The last expression he had seen on the face of the beautiful princess had mesmerized him completely. And to think she was his girl now... He beamed and struck a proud fist in the air, feeling accomplished. Azula was his... and he was hers, too. He did insist that they had to tell others about it, but their opinions were completely irrelevant to him. He loved her with all his heart, and he couldn't even picture his life without her anymore. And if his friends and family disagreed with their union, they would have to deal with it, because he wouldn't let go of her ever again.

They would have to deal with it... but how exactly would they?


	2. Zuko

Zuko walked down a hall while browsing over some documents he had to send out soon to the United Republic of Nations's first city, the former Yu Dao. Republic City was the subject of most the hopes and dreams of Aang, Zuko and King Kuei - who had joined the establishment of the United Republic a little late, but he had joined nonetheless - to make their grand movement for unity grow strong and steady, thus there was a lot of paperwork involved to make their dreams a reality.

Recent events had forced him to forget about his obligations even if just for a day and he'd stayed behind schedule, which had him rushing to meet his deadlines now. In normal circumstances, he'd do everything in his power to perform according to standards punctually, but his sense of timing had been thrown off balance lately. He could only blame himself for this turn of events, because there really was nobody else to blame... or so he thought. Maybe he could blame whoever caused his sister the distress and depression she'd been suffering from... because he figured whatever drove her to cry on his shoulder had been caused by somebody else. But who?

It had been two days since she had wept on his shoulder, and still he was puzzled over what could have upset her so much. All of sudden he could understand why Sokka had interrogated him over the reasons why Azula would cry, because it truly was a worrisome matter...

Then again, he was wondering about this because he'd held her as she cried. Why did Sokka get fixated upon that subject if he hadn't been a witness to her tears in the first place? Maybe... maybe he had been witness to them after all... He resolved to go look for his friend after he was done shipping off his documents, and he sped up his pace, taking a sharp corner to the left as he entered a lengthy hall, from which he'd arrive to the room where the royal messenger hawks were kept...

But his chance to make Sokka talk arrived right there and then, to his surprise. Zuko frowned when he saw his friend standing halfway through the walkway: what puzzled him so much wasn't the sight of the teenager, but of the Princess who stood beside him. They hadn't noticed his presence yet, which allowed Zuko to watch them whispering to each other. Maybe Sokka and Azula were interacting nowadays a little more often than they used to, but that didn't entitle them to stand in corners of the Palace, muttering under their breaths as they were doing right now. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought something weird was happening... but what could be happening? Sokka had Suki, and Azula hated him in the first place...

But then again, something was up with the Kyoshi Warriors as well lately. He had received a memo from them, expressly stating they would be taking a few days off with no explanation as to why they had made such decision. Zuko thought he'd drop by to inquire over their sudden leave of absence, but he hadn't found the time to do so. Maybe he should ask Sokka now, since he was bound to know...

Azula caught sight of him, and to Zuko's surprise, she tapped Sokka's shoulder with a finger and gestured towards him. Sokka turned around and looked at him with slight concern. He looked at Azula again, and they exchanged a few more words, which Zuko managed to overhear now as he strode towards them.

"... I'm not sure anymore" said Sokka, clearly worried about something

"Come on, be a man" she told him off "We just agreed you'd be the one to tell Zuko"

"We did, but... how about he finds out on his own? You thought that was a good idea before…"

"Weren't you the one insisting we had to explain the situation to everyone?" growled Azula, irritated

"Y-yeah, but now I'm having second thoughts…"

"What's going on here?" asked the Fire Lord, a frown growing prominently on his brow "What do you want me to find out on my own?"

Sokka turned again to him, not looking very determined, but knowing they'd have to face the moment of the grand revelation at some point...

"Hey, uh… Zuko!" he said, smiling clumsily as he approached Zuko with a very forced walk "Nice weather, don't you think?"

Zuko actually bothered looking out at the gray clouds covering the sky and he raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Since when was a forthcoming storm a synonym to nice weather?

"What's the matter?" he asked, frowning again

"Um... you see, uh..." Sokka mumbled nervously, sweat rolling down his back. What should he say? What could he say? Where should he begin? "Well, the thing is… uh…"

"We've been through this before" grunted Zuko, irritated as he recalled a conversation that had taken place not too long ago "If you have something to say, say it already! I have things to do and you're wasting my time"

"Oh, if I'm wasting your time I can tell you later..." said Sokka carelessly, but Azula glared at him, letting him know it was now or never "But I should say it now…"

Zuko let out an exasperated sigh as Sokka turned towards him again, smiling.

"Okay, uh… where should I begin?" asked Sokka, scratching his head

"How about you start by telling me what you're doing standing on a hallway with my sister?" muttered the Fire Lord, raising an inquisitive eyebrow

"W-well, you see…" muttered Sokka, but Zuko interrupted him

"Or maybe you can tell me what's going on with the Kyoshi Warriors" he suggested

"Huh?" Sokka raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"They suddenly decided to take a few days off without any explanation" said Zuko, and Sokka grimaced, feeling slightly guilty "I guess you can tell me what's up with them, can't you?"

Even Azula felt a little uncomfortable about talking of the Kyoshi Warriors, but she wasn't the one who Zuko wanted an explanation from. His amber eyes were fixated upon Sokka, who was trying to stay calm and find a way to explain everything to his friend without getting killed in the process…

"I guess I know why they're taking days off..." he mumbled, playing with his fingers "Or at least, I think I know..."

"Well, tell me whatever you know, will you?" said Zuko, frowning "Suki's always so hardworking that I can't help but worry... you didn't knock her up, did you?"

"WHAT?!" screamed Sokka, jumping in surprise "N-no way!"

The question made Azula glare at him and he smiled nervously at both siblings, shaking his head non-stop

"I'm serious, you guys! I didn't knock her up, or else she probably would have had the baby by now..."

Sokka's assertion made Azula smile slightly, realizing Sokka hadn't slept with his former girlfriend during these last crazy months during which they had started to get involved... but then she realized he had been intimate with her before that period of time. Jealousy burned within her at the thought, but she suppressed it quickly. She was sure her time to do such things with Sokka would come some day...

"Then what is it?" asked Zuko, who had ignored the way his sister reacted at Sokka's words

"Okay..." muttered Sokka, scratching his head nervously yet again "Thing is, Suki and I... we broke up"

Zuko's eyes widened in shock as he dropped the documents in his hands, far more affected by this revelation than Sokka envisioned. Even Azula raised an eyebrow and eyed her brother in surprise, wondering if letting him know she was involved with Sokka was still a good idea... if he reacted like this with only hearing about the break up, what would he do when he was briefed about their relationship? Maybe he would get a heart-attack... although that didn't bother Azula much, but Sokka certainly wouldn't bear the burden of having killed the Fire Lord by dating his sister.

"Wha-..." muttered Zuko "You didn't... you couldn't have... no way! How come?! Why?! What on earth could have made you do that?!"

"L-let's keep calm, Zuko..." said Sokka, gulping

"Keep calm?! How the hell do you want me to keep calm?! How could you break up with her?!"

"I fail to see why you're taking this to the heart, Zuko" said Azula curtly, finally intervening in the conversation

"And I fail to see what you have to do with this" grunted Zuko, taking her aback slightly as she wondered if she really should tell him she was the cause of the break up...

"But hey, don't jump to conclusions, okay?" said Sokka, jumping to Azula's defense and forcing Zuko's to focus on him again "I really wasn't the one to break up with her... though I really was the reason why we broke up..."

"So she's still the one hurting after this mess" said Zuko, irritated "How could you?"

"Why are you so affected, Zuko?" muttered Azula, frowning

"I'm affected because she's my friend!" yelled Zuko "And I don't want to see her depressed and miserable..."

"How about you hook up with her, then? Since you're so concerned about her..." said Azula, defiant

"This isn't funny, Azula" growled Zuko "As I said, you have nothing to do with this!"

"On the contrary... she has a lot to do with it" said Sokka, and Zuko frowned when his friend stepped in front of Azula in a defensive demeanor "You asked why, didn't you?"

"Wh... what are you...?" mumbled Zuko, his brain refusing to process the information he was receiving. The truth was right there, he knew it, but he refused to accept it...

But Sokka took a deep breath and looked at him in the eye sternly, azure against amber, as he finally said:

"I'm in love with your sister"

Time seemed to stop as Zuko's eyes widened in quite a comical manner. Azula didn't feel Sokka's protective stance of hers was necessary before, but now she was actually thankful for his bravery. She was starting to feel anxious, because no matter if she wanted her brother's acceptance or not, his reaction seemed far worse than she imagined it would be and she feared he might hurt Sokka...

Until a slight grin showed up in his face as he stared at both of them with disbelief

"It's a joke..." he stated, surprising both Azula and Sokka "It's one of those weird jokes of yours, Sokka... right? Those jokes that you find hilarious and I think they're not funny... that's it, right?"

Sokka turned and exchanged a look with Azula, neither knowing how to respond to his reaction

"Well... it's better if he doesn't buy it than if he decides to kick me out of the Palace, right?" said Sokka, with an uncomfortable smile

"I have the bad feeling that it'll be me locking my brother up in an asylum this time..." muttered Azula, making Sokka chuckle

"B-but that's it, isn't it?" said Zuko, a tone of despair in his every word "Y-you two realized that working together you could mess me up completely... you already annoyed me on your own, both combined would make my life a living hell... S-so that's why you said that, that's why you tricked me into believing you'd broken up with Suki..."

Sokka sighed and shook his head

"I guess believing that would make reality more bearable for you, huh?"

"It HAS to be a joke! This is plain ridiculous!" yelled Zuko "You've always insulted and disdained Sokka!" he said, pointing at Azula

"Maybe I did, but..." muttered Azula, but Zuko interrupted her before she explained herself.

"And you… The minute you set a foot on the Palace again you told me you hated her!" screamed Zuko, pointing at Sokka now. Azula raised an eyebrow, but she realized she had no right to pursue the matter… she really had been a pain in the ass for him back when Sokka started to live in the Palace.

Sokka, on the other hand, raised his hands defensively as he said:

"You know, things can change, Zuko… people change. I've changed" he admitted, and Zuko shook his head repeatedly, unwilling to believe his words, unable to believe them.

"No, no… this is plain stupid. It's a joke, it has to be. B-but it's not even funny anymore, you know? Well, it wouldn't have been funny at any point in time…" he mumbled, walking in circles as he stroked his temples.

"I'm going to say it could have been a lot worse" said Sokka, smiling innocently as Azula stood next to him again.

"It's not over yet" she muttered "He doesn't even believe us…"

"I wouldn't believe it so easily either if I were him" said Sokka, shrugging "C'mon, let's just scram before reality hits him…"

"I'm going…" said Zuko, turning to them once more, looking as if he had just run a marathon judging by the way he was panting. The mental abilities required to understand how such a relationship had developed were definitely beyond him right now "I'm going to give you both one last chance… just tell me it's really just a joke now and the consequences won't be severe…"

"Oh, and they will be if we don't say it's a joke?" asked Azula, defying him as usual.

"I'm serious here" growled Zuko; his brow completely contracted "Take that idiotic joke back now… DO IT!"

"No" said Azula, not a trace of doubt in her eyes as she challenged Zuko. Both their wills clashed, and even though Zuko didn't want to give up, Azula's negative was so strong he took a step back as his eyes were taken over by disbelief again.

"No way… j-just… no way. It can't be…" muttered Zuko "You're telling me YOU like him too?! Or are you accepting whatever feelings he sprouted for you just so you can play around with him until you're satisfied?!"

"I'm not going to deny I'll be playing around with him…" said Azula, making Sokka blush at her words "But the answer to your question is yes, I like him. No, in fact, it's better if I say I love him"

Sokka's heart seemed to increase in size as he stared at the girl, who was apparently impassive despite her own heart was racing as well now she had admitted her feelings for him so openly.

Zuko, on the other hand, kept shaking his head in denial, even though he saw the way Sokka's eyes seemed to sparkle as he stared at Azula. Her gaze was still fixated upon her brother, though, wondering what would he tell her now.

"This is… is nonsense. It doesn't make any sense…" he said, gritting his teeth

"Why?" asked Azula, even more defiant than before "Is it because I'm incapable of love, Zuko? Is that it?"

"That's not what I said…" he muttered, even though part of his denial was in fact founded upon said belief. His sister felt no appreciation towards ANYONE. How could she suddenly be infatuated with Sokka of all people? "But why? How? The hell, honestly?! You two are damn crazy, that's what you are!"

Azula was surprised to see her brother start talking so quickly, and even Sokka stopped staring at his new girlfriend in awe as he eyed Zuko with concern. The Fire Lord was pacing up and down, shaking his head so much his brain had to be fuzzy already after so much movement.

"It's plain ridiculous!" he exclaimed "You two… there's no damn way this makes any sense! You hate each other!"

"We HATED each other" said Sokka, even though he was convinced that by correcting Zuko he was only getting himself in even more trouble "Things have changed, Zuko… I'm sorry if it's more than you can take"

"I still don't see why it bothers him so much" said Azula, shrugging "It's not like we're asking for his blessing or anything. Even if he doesn't like it, we're doing this"

"Oh, really?!" asked Zuko, slightly unbalanced by now "You two are just… you're the worst match ever, you know that?"

Azula couldn't help herself but smirk and shrug off his words by saying

"Ah, but that's what makes this much more fun than all those boring couples such as yourself and Mai…"

"WHAT?!" yelled Zuko, growing mad again

"Okay, okay, calm down, both of you!" said Sokka, standing between both siblings

"I'm calm" said Azula, smiling

"Me too!" yelled Zuko, and Sokka couldn't do anything other than smile uncomfortably at him

"Right… uh, Zuko… honestly, we're really just letting you know about this because it's better if you know about it than if you don't. So… make yourself a favor and accept it without a fuss, will you?" he said, his eyes gleaming with honesty

"What…? You're even crazier than she is" said Zuko, huffing in disbelief "You want me to just sit tight while I watch you two get together in what could only be the deadliest relationship in the history of the world?!"

"Uh… yeah?" said Sokka, smiling

"You're unbelievable" grunted Zuko, shaking his head again "This is absurd… Seriously, how on earth did this happen?!"

Azula was actually growing sick of the conversation at this point. She knew Zuko wouldn't accept their relationship so quickly; it'd take weeks for him to quit claiming they were pulling a prank on him. And the best way to deal with this issue walked around the corner on that very moment and headed towards them with her usual happy-go-lucky attitude…

"Guys? What's going on…?" asked Ty Lee, surprised to see the three of them on the hallway.

Her face lit up when she saw Sokka in a protective stance in front of Azula, and she beamed happily, realizing they were a couple now… but her joy dissipated when she caught a glimpse of Azula's mischievous smile… she knew that smile way too well not to know something troublesome was about to happen.

"Ty Lee, it's so good to see you" said Azula, smirking

"Uh… It's good to see you too" said Ty Lee, slightly worried "What's the matter?"

"Oh, Zuko doesn't understand how my peasant and I got together" said Azula, smiling as she took Sokka's hand, to his surprise and delight "And no matter how we explain it to him, he won't listen. So it's better if you explain it all to him, since you already knew about this"

Zuko's eyes widened again and he turned to Ty Lee, shocked

"You WHAT?!" he asked "YOU KNEW OF THIS?!"

"I… I…" said Ty Lee, terrified "It's not as if I really knew the details, I really…"

"Well then, we shall take our leave now" said Azula, turning around "Ty Lee shall brief you of the details now, because my love muffin and I have to go honor our undying love for each other. See you around, Zuzu"

And as she dragged Sokka down the hallway, Zuko gaped at them, his hand extending towards Azula's shoulder but stopping halfway there, knowing Azula was right. Whatever explanation she gave him wouldn't be enough for him to understand how his sister and his best friend suddenly developed feelings for each other…

Azula smirked uncontrollably as she realized Zuko didn't find the strength to stop them. Sokka was nervous at first, but when he saw the expression on Azula's face, her malicious enthusiasm was transmitted to him as well. He chuckled slightly and shook his head, amazed by how brave the girl next to him was.

"We're not going to hear the end of it, Azula…" he muttered, and she giggled as well

"Just shut up and enjoy it. Angering Zuko is one of the best forms of entertainment in the Palace" she said, still smirking as she took a last glance at her hysterical brother

Zuko stood in his spot, but when Azula flashed her teasing smile at him, he gritted his teeth and clasped a fist, feeling the urge to put her in her rightful place one way or another. How dared she play with him like this? Was she in love with Sokka AT ALL?!

A movement next to him caught his eye and he remembered Ty Lee was there. He caught her before she sneaked off, aware that Zuko would interrogate her about Sokka and Azula's relationship even though she hardly knew anything about it.

"TY LEE!" he yelled, making her jump in fright "Why?! J-just tell me how… YOU KNEW OF THIS AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!"

"W-w-what was I supposed to say, Zuko?!" said Ty Lee, flustered "And besides, I hardly know anything at all!"

"She said you knew!" screamed Zuko, approaching Ty Lee, who kept trying to get away from him somehow

"W-well, it's not as if it's the first time Azula has lied to you!" said Ty Lee

"I think you'd be surprised to hear Azula talk about her undying love for Sokka if you knew nothing about it from before!" he screamed, and Ty Lee grew paler, knowing she was being driven into a corner and not only on the literal sense… but what was she supposed to say?

"W-well, maybe I knew just a bit about it, but not every detail…"

"I don't want every detail" growled Zuko "All I want to know is how the hell is my sister involved with Sokka all of sudden!"

"I really don't know!" cried Ty Lee "I just knew things were getting weird between them when he kissed her, and…"

"He…" Zuko's face lost all its color upon a new revelation "He… kissed Azula?"

"W-why the big surprise?" said Ty Lee, gulping

"T-that just… doesn't make any sense…" said Zuko "Who would kiss Azula…? Why would anyone kiss…?"

"Maybe because he likes her…?" asked Ty Lee, raising an eyebrow

"But that's just wrong!" said Zuko, shaking his head again "Nobody would… why did he…? How come he kissed Azula? Nobody on his right mind would kiss Azula…"

"Hey, that's plain mean!" complained Ty Lee "And besides, it's not as if he's the first guy to kiss Azula…"

Zuko went even paler after that comment, and Ty Lee figured Azula had never told her brother about her small involvement with Chan…

"WHAT?! That's just… NO!" he said, shaking his head in disbelief

"Is it wrong if I find it funny that you're only playing overprotective older brother now for the first time in about nineteen years…?" asked Ty Lee, earning herself another glare from Zuko, who stormed at her and forced her to fall back until she crashed against a wall of the Palace

"What's the story, Ty Lee?! SAY IT! TELL ME NOW!" he yelled, blowing fire with his breath

"I… I don't know! I know nothing about anything!" she yelled, terrified.

"What's going on here?" asked a voice they both knew really well, a voice that usually held a certain bored tone to it, but this time Mai seemed a little too puzzled by the scene to keep up her careless façade

"This is unexpected" said Iroh, who was accompanying his nephew's girlfriend and staring at the two teens with curiosity

Ty Lee's eyes lit in joy when she saw her friend while Zuko registered that now he'd probably have to explain to Mai that he wasn't sexually harassing Ty Lee or anything of the sort…

"Mai!" Ty Lee squealed happily, and grabbed him by the shoulder, shoving him into Mai's arms with more force than necessary "CATCH!"

Mai couldn't do anything but balance herself and Zuko when he crashed against her. Ty Lee broke into a full sprint right away and fled as quickly as she could before Zuko attempted to get her to speak a truth she hardly knew anything about.

"What's going on?" asked Mai, worried at the strange look on Zuko's face. The Fire Lord had withstood too many shocking revelations for one day.

"I… I don't get it…" he said, shaking his head for the umpteenth time that day "But apparently, Sokka and Azula are… together"

Mai stared at her boyfriend with disbelief, wondering if he had been drinking Cactus Juice, but Iroh smiled broadly at his nephew's words

"Oh, it was about time…"

Zuko's mouth hung open for a few seconds before yelling

"WHAT THE HELL?! What do you mean it was about time?!"

"I could feel the vibes between them when we had that Pai Sho match" said Iroh, smiling "Anyone my age would pick up on those things, Zuko… I believe they'll be a good pairing indeed"

"What on earth…?" said Mai "Why would she want to go out with him of all people?"

"THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO KNOW!" yelled Zuko, throwing his hands in the air in a fit of despair.

Mai didn't allow the revelation to alter her much despite how surprising it was that her former friend would get involved with a boy she used to consider dumb and annoying… but Azula was still Azula, and Mai didn't care so much if she was getting any action with a man or not. On the other hand, her gaze drifted towards the papers Zuko had thrown on the floor previously back when his sole concern was Suki's wellbeing

"Zuko… what's that?" she asked, pointing at the papers

Zuko stumbled as he ran to pick them up, embarrassed

"They're important documents I was supposed to ship off… Oh, I'm a mess" he said, shaking his head again

"Calm down, Zuko" said Iroh "I will go make tea, you can send those documents and the three of us will go to your office to talk about this without a fuss, is that alright?"

Zuko sighed and nodded, and they parted ways as he took the papers into his hands, heading to find a messenger hawk…

He, of course, knew not that this was where Azula and Sokka were now.

Sokka finished attaching the letter to Toph on the saddle of the hawk he'd picked, and he sent the bird out as Azula watched him with interest, realizing he had a way with these animals. Sokka sighed and kept staring at the bird as it flew into the distance

"I hope Toph takes it better than Zuko did" he muttered, chuckling

Azula couldn't help but smile at the thought and she took Sokka's hand on her own.

"So…" said Sokka, intertwining her fingers with his "Where do you want to go live when Zuko banishes us from the Palace?"

Azula broke into laughter, to Sokka's joy. Seeing her smile like this was a sight to behold indeed…

"You think he'll banish us?" she asked, raising an eyebrow

"Well, I don't see why he wouldn't" said Sokka, chuckling "It's really likely that he does when he realizes we weren't joking…"

"I guess it must be really unbelievable" muttered Azula "Especially when he knows nothing about the circumstances that led us here"

"Maybe he'd know about them if he weren't so hysterical" said Sokka "I had no problem explaining it to him…"

"You had no problem explaining Zuko how we've fallen for each other?" asked Azula, inquisitively "You have no problem telling him how you kissed me while you were still with another woman, how we spent a night together, how you dumped the Kyoshi Warrior to be with me? You would be asking for an instant banishment if you really bothered explaining everything to him, I can assure you of that"

"Oh, well… if you put it that way…" said Sokka, grimacing

"Not to mention you're the cause I was crying when we returned…" she said, absent-mindedly. Sokka's eyes widened and he looked at her, aghast

"Y-you were… crying, you said?" he muttered, and Azula only realized he hadn't been aware of this fact now.

"Oh, uh… yes, I was" she admitted, a blush coloring her cheeks "I wanted to beat Zuko up for letting you stay here… and I broke down crying. He had no choice but to hold me as I did, and I'm guessing he would kill you if he knew you were the reason I was crying"

Sokka sighed and shook his head, ashamed of himself

"I'm so sorry…" he muttered

"You don't have to be" said Azula, grinning "After all, I was the one who pushed you away back then. If I hadn't done that…"

"I wouldn't have realized I can't live without you" finished Sokka, making her smile spread even more

"Well, I didn't expect you to reach that conclusion… but it pleases me that you did"

They stared at each other for a moment, blue and amber clashing together no longer in conflict, but in pure bliss…

"So… where do you want to live?" asked Sokka, making her chuckle again

"I really don't know, as long as we stay somewhere in the Fire Nation" she said

"Right, Fire Nation food is the best, we can't go anywhere else" agreed Sokka, nodding, as Azula stared at him, dumbfounded

"I thought I'd rather be in the Fire Nation because I'll probably be stoned if I dare go to the Earth Kingdom…" she muttered, and Sokka jumped

"Oh, I see… yeah, I guess it's likely they won't want to see you there, since you were the one who took over Ba Sing Se and all… yeah, we're staying in the Fire Nation, that's a given. Food is only a small perk to it"

Azula raised an eyebrow but smiled nonetheless, and Sokka grinned, feeling slightly guilty about his silly remark about food.

"Still, there are a lot of places in the Fire Nation" he said "Where exactly would you want to go?"

Azula shrugged carelessly and stared at the horizon. The messenger hawk was no longer in sight.

"I really don't care at all, Sokka" she admitted "Because… you see, as long as I'm with you, I'll go anywhere and I'll still be happier than I've been in my entire life, so…"

Her assertion made him feel incredibly fuzzy in the inside as his heart took another leap. Had he ever felt this way around any other girl? Not that he remembered… even his love for Yue seemed to grow dim in comparison to the thrill he felt with Azula by his side. And to think she had said she could go anywhere as long as they were together…

"W-what are you looking at?" she asked, blushing a little more

"I thought too much sweetness made you sick" he said, his gentle smile mesmerizing her completely "But now the one who's being incredibly sweet is you…"

Azula couldn't help but smile and nod as he lifted a hand to caress her red cheeks. She enjoyed the contact as she allowed herself to get closer and closer to him.

"You bring a dumb romantic girl out of me that I had no idea existed in the first place…" she admitted, and it was his turn to chuckle

"And I love both you and said romantic girl, is that okay with you?" he asked

"I wouldn't have it any other way…"

She felt her heart beat wildly as she saw him draw closer for another kiss… she couldn't get enough of his lips against hers. And her heart seemed to be about to jump out of her chest when he kissed her softly. Surrounding his neck with her arms, she deepened the contact, making Sokka smile as he continued endowing her with more and more kisses…

And Zuko stood in the threshold witnessing the scene with his jaw open. Well, now he knew they weren't kidding… they had no idea he was there after all. He found himself blushing at the sight as he recoiled and decided to head to his office right away… his documents could wait to be sent, no matter if he was on his deadline or not. Right now he had to face the facts…

Still, all he could do at the moment was wonder: how had his best friend fallen in love with his sister?

**Well, Zuko… go read The Reason if you really want to know xD Okay, I update this so you know I didn't forget this story! I do have in mind to finish it someday, since it won't span out for too many chapters unlike my other current project, Gladiator… do take a look at that one if you feel like it! ^^ It's going to be a pretty intense story, tons of action and a pretty complicated plot, so if you want to see more Sokkla from me, go ahead and take a look! ^^**

**Okay, commercials are over xD I hope you enjoyed Zuko's reaction… the next chapter will be full of absurd comedy as well, probably even more than this one! So stay tuned for Katara, Aang and Toph dealing face to face with our favorite couple! ^^**


	3. Katara, Aang & Toph

_**WARNING: Suggestive scene up ahead. Read at your own risk! I don't think it's worth tuning up the rating, but it's a little crazy. Hope you like it anyways xD**_

After a few days of gray skies, the weather had finally improved and the sun shone brightly, perhaps a little too brightly for Sokka's liking. Spring seemed to be unfolding at its best; flowers bloomed all over the Royal Palace's gardens… and normally he would just drop on a patch of grass underneath a tree and laze around doing nothing, but he was too troubled right now to spend his time lounging: it had been several days already and he hadn't received any response from Toph about his letter.

As he stood on an open hallway near the entrance of the Palace, someone strolled towards him and patted him on the back. The feel of the familiar hand made him smile as he turned to face the Fire Princess, who was smiling at him with the devilish edge unique to her.

"Good morning" he said, smiling back and stroking her face gently "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I did" replied Azula, basking in his touch "What are you doing out here?"

"Oh, nothing much" he admitted, shrugging "Just waiting for the messenger hawk I sent Toph to come back. It's been about four days by now..."

"She might have thought that replying wasn't imperative" muttered Azula, as he withdrew his hand "Or she found the information so irrelevant that she didn't care for it"

"Yeah, that could have happened" admitted Sokka, grimacing "But if it does... who'll help us tell Katara about this? We were relying on Toph for that..."

"We can use Zuko now" suggested Azula, smirking "I think he's finally realized we weren't joking when we told him we're in love"

"You know, he reacted really weirdly" muttered Sokka "When we told him he freaked out and refused to believe it... now it's as if he believed it, but despised it completely"

"Did you expect anything else?" asked Azula "From his point of view, you dumped his friend to hook up with his sister as if to torture him"

"Yeah, well... I definitely wasn't thinking about Zuko when all of this happened, so he can quit being so self involved if he thinks he's why we did this"

"Oh, he'll grow even more dramatic if you say that" said Azula, smirking "He'll reprimand you for not thinking about his feelings when you got together with me"

"I don't know what his feelings have to do with anything, but whatever" said Sokka, rolling his eyes "And to think he's this troubled... I don't even want to imagine what will happen when we tell Katara"

"True, you seem very concerned about it... do you have any ideas about what we should do?"

"Uh... how about we throw her a huge banquet, and once she's eaten to her liking, we tell her and run away before she digests both the food and the information?"

"That sounds like what you wish she had done to reveal to you her involvement with the Avatar" said Azula, smirking

"Yeah, in a way... it would have been so much better" admitted Sokka with a dramatic sigh

"You're too kind a brother to her" said Azula

Sokka blinked as he heard those words, and as if assimilated them he nodded in agreement

"You know, I really am too nice to her!" he said "I keep thinking about how to break this easily to her but she's never been half as considerate towards me! I had to take the revelation by seeing her kiss Aang fully! I should give her the same treatment!"

"Uh... I hope you didn't mean you'll kiss the Avatar in front of her..." said Azula, flinching, and Sokka glared at her

"Yuck! I didn't mean it'd be the exact same thing, Azula!" yelled Sokka, scandalized "I meant I'll kiss YOU without any restraints in front of Katara!"

Azula would have chuckled and mocked Sokka's disgust, but a figure up in the skies caught her attention before she comprised a good reply for him. As said figure approached she managed to identify it, and surely Sokka would have recognized it as well if he hadn't been so busy arguing with her

"Hey, are you ignoring me now? Azula!" he squealed, annoyed.

"So you say you want to take revenge on your sister by kissing me in front of her..." she muttered, still staring at the sky

"Yeah, that's what I just said!" grunted Sokka

"In that case, here's your chance" she said, pointing at the figure.

Sokka frowned, wondering what was the matter with his girlfriend... he found the answer far faster than he thought he would. Soaring and roaring, the magnificent six-legged sky bison was approaching them rapidly, aiming to land on the long passageway that lead into the Royal Palace from the front gates.

"Oh, no... oh, no..." muttered Sokka "I have a very bad feeling about this..."

"Do you know any reason why the Avatar should be coming here today?" asked Azula

"No... unless Toph told him and Katara about us" gulped Sokka

"Would she do something so low?" asked Azula, frowning "It doesn't sound much like her, although I hardly know her..."

"Then what other explanation do you have for this?" asked Sokka, looking terrified "Damn, I think I'm going to get killed... Well, if it happens I want you to know I had a blast with you even if it was for a short time" he said, showing Azula a sad smile.

"Don't be ridiculous" said Azula "I'm not letting anyone hurt you. I finally found a guy crazy enough to love me, they're only snatching him away over my dead body"

"It's embarrassing to think that you're the one promising to protect me..." said Sokka, ashamed "But yeah, you're right! They'll split us up over our dead bodies!"

The bison kept coming closer and closer to land, and both Azula and Sokka spotted on the saddle a furious dark skinned girl with blazing blue eyes glaring at both of them.

"Yeah... I'm not sure Katara would mind having to kill us both if she's as mad as she looks..." gulped Sokka. He had been clinging to the innocent hope that only Aang would be riding Appa... now he could see his wishes had been in vain.

The bison hadn't even landed yet when Katara jumped off, enraged. Her frown was so deep her eyes were almost hidden behind her eyebrows. Azula could have sworn the girl's hair was standing on end, as if by static, when her feet hit the ground.

"Katara!" squealed Aang's voice, but the waterbender ignored him.

"What flowers do you want on our funeral?" Sokka asked Azula, as they both walked down to the passageway where Appa had just landed.

"What's the point of asking me that?" muttered the girl "We'll both be dead by then, it's not as if we'll have a say upon the matter..."

"SOKKA!" screamed Katara, her voice shrill

"We're doomed" said the Water Tribe boy as he saw his sister storm towards him.

"What... is... THE MEANING OF THIS?!" yelled the girl, walking up to Sokka and almost rubbing the letter he had written to Toph on his face.

"Uh... ah... um..." mumbled Sokka, sweating as he wished he could become invisible

"The way I see it, it means you're reading other people's correspondence" said Azula carelessly, making Katara's glare take her as a new target.

"You...!" she snarled, just as Aang and Toph jumped off Appa's back

"Sweetie!" called the Avatar, running towards the waterbender and holding her by the shoulder to stop her from assaulting Azula "Stay calm! I'm sure there's a good explanation for this! B-because there is... right, Sokka?"

"I... I think so... but I doubt anything I say could soothe Katara" he muttered, grimacing

"Maybe if you say this whole letter is nothing but bullshit I'll calm down!" yelled Katara, still shaking the letter on her brother's face.

"Gee, Sugar Queen... watch that tongue. You're making too much of a fuss over this" said Toph, shrugging

"How am I making too much of a fuss?!" yelled Katara "I should even make more of a fuss! This is an outrage! And why are you so calm about it, Toph?!"

"Well, I just figured they're a better combination than you thought. If he ever gets out of line Azula will straighten him out, you know?"

"How can you say something like that...?!" screamed Katara, hysterical.

"Um... Toph, I'd like to know how the letter wound up on Katara's hands..." asked Sokka, eyeing his friend with a little annoyance

"That's all on you, Sokka" said Toph "If you'd gone to tell me in person or if your hawk had arrived before Katara and Aang dropped by to see me, none of this would be happening. But the letter got there right after the two of them arrived, and Katara kindly offered to read the letter out loud... and so we're here now"

"Oh... I get it now" said Sokka, gulping

"How the hell...?!" cursed Katara "Out of all the stupid things you've ever done, Sokka, this one is...!"

"The greatest of them all?" asked Sokka, grinning innocently

Katara stared at him with such fury that Sokka began to fear she would actually kill him now.

"Guys, guys... let's all calm down" said Aang, the eternal peace-maker "I want to trust you both of this, Azula, Sokka... but are you sure you're doing the right thing? Are you sure this relationship has a future?"

Sokka and Azula stared at each other, both thoughtful about the answer to that question.

"For all we know, we might break up tomorrow... or we could be together for the rest of our lives" said Azula "We would be fools if we took our future for granted, nothing's set in stone just yet"

"That's just ridiculous!" squealed Katara with disbelief "So you're saying you have no plans at all?! You jumped into this just for the fun of it?!"

"I guess you couldn't relate to that, seeing as a relationship involving you cannot be fun at all" said Azula, shrugging and smirking

"WHAT?!" Katara screamed, her eyes almost out of orbit by now

"Oooooh, good one there..." said Toph, chuckling

"HOW DARE YOU...?!" continued Katara, but Aang held her back. Normally he would be the one to lose his mind while Katara calmed him... it was very unusual for the roles to be revesed.

"Don't, Katara! Please, calm down! For me!" he said, hoping this would cause the same effect on her as it did on him... and being thoroughly disappointed to see his experiment fail

"You revolting witch!" she screamed, snarling at Azula "I'll NEVER let my brother trample around with the likes of you!"

"Uh, since when do you call the shots on whom I date, Katara?" asked Sokka, frowning in annoyance. Azula smiled to see him standing up for himself.

"Since now!" she declared "You seemed perfectly capable of choosing the right girl before, but now you've picked the most horrible prospect you could have thought of!"

"Horrible?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Katara "No matter how much you hate her, you can't be so blind by hatred that you can't realize how beautiful Azula is…"

Katara grew pale, it looked as if she was about to be sick. Azula smiled at Sokka, surprised at his courage to give his sister such a shrewd answer and very pleased to hear him compliment her so openly.

"Oh, please! Princess Yue was far more beautiful than her!" yelled Katara, making both Azula and Sokka wince.

"Okay, that's a very low blow!" said Sokka, frowning "They're both beautiful, although in very different ways!"

"Oh… really?" muttered Azula, trying to keep her jealousy in check. It made no sense for her to feel envious about this, especially since that was clearly what Katara had been attempting to cause, but apparently she had become slightly unable to control her feelings nowadays.

"Of course!" said Sokka, troubled. He didn't want his relationship with Azula to go through any more problems… but judging by the look on her face, he would fail to appease her at the moment. Ah, Katara could be truly crafty! But he was twice as smart as she was… "You're absolutely stunning, Azula! Believe me! Although… well, if you don't buy it when I say it, I guess Aang can help me out there, right? You've always thought she's really pretty, haven't you?"

Aang blushed suddenly and lifted his hands as in defense. Katara turned to him, furious

"Say WHAT?!" asked Katara

"I… It's not as if I said she was prettier than you, Katara!" he said "B-because she's not!" he added, when he saw his girlfriend grow even angrier

"Oh, this talk about pretty faces is annoying" said Toph, sighing "Does anyone mind if I go inside to get a glass of juice? I'm thirsty"

"You're not going anywhere!" yelled Katara, making Toph huff in irritation

"I'm honest, Katara!" insisted Aang, gulping "You're the most beautiful girl in the world!"

Sokka couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter, earning himself a glare from his sister

"Oh, it's funny how you try to salvage the situation, Aang…" said Sokka, wiping tears from his eyes "If you said you don't find Azula pretty, maybe Katara would be happy… well, I guess you won't since it's an obvious lie and the monks must have beaten that out of you…"

"QUIT TELLING AANG WHAT TO DO OR SAY!" yelled Katara, losing her temper "He'd never have as bad taste in women as you have!"

"Oh, low blow" said Sokka, faking agony "Well, I'll stop telling Aang what to do if you stop trying to make me date whoever you approve of"

Azula smirked at the wit of his plan, and Sokka also let himself smirk in satisfaction

"You have to be kidding, Sokka…" said Katara, shaking her head "You just have to be! Seriously, there's no future to this relationship AT ALL! She'll end up hurting you like you've never been hurt before!"

"Uh… I guess she already did that and yet I'm still here" said Sokka, scratching his head "So… don't worry! If that's what you're afraid of, I'll be fine!"

"And talking so much about the future… are you even listening to yourself?" asked Azula, skeptical "You think you and your Avatar are so meant to be there's no chance things don't work out between you? You'd be a fool to think so, I said it before and I'll say it again. Unless his Avatar skills let him see into the future, which I doubt, there's no way you could be so certain of whatever awaits you both"

"Besides, the uncertainty is part of the fun" said Sokka, grinning "I wouldn't like knowing everything of what will happen to me later on in life"

"Um… that's fine for you guys, I guess. But I just want to clear up I don't have crazy fortunetelling powers like that, Azula" said Aang, looking slightly uncomfortable. Katara's eyes lit up when he said that phrase.

"That's it! Oh, Sokka! Your future is perfectly clear if you stay with her!" said Katara "Don't you remember what Aunt Wu told you?!"

"Who's Aunt Wu?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, some crazy old lady who told Katara she would have an epic romance and whatnot…" said Sokka, shrugging. Azula snorted with derision

"Epic? Don't make me laugh…"

"HEY!" yelled Katara and Aang, annoyed

"What do you want to remind me about Aunt Wu?" asked Sokka, rolling his eyes

"She said you'd make yourself miserable for the rest of your life!" said Katara "If you don't want that prediction to become real, then get a grip and don't get involved with Azula! Nothing spells a miserable life more than she does!"

Sokka chuckled and looked at Azula

"Gee, if that's the face of misery I don't think I'd mind waking up next to it for the rest of my life. Only a moron would say no to that. I don't even mind if that means Aunt Wu's prediction will come true, I want to be miserable if it means being with Azula"

Azula laughed and smiled at him, proud of his answer

"I don't think you understand what that really entails, Sokka…" muttered Aang, grimacing and starting to side with Katara

"I understand far better than you imagine" said Sokka, nodding

"Oh, please" said Katara, rolling her eyes "You've simply gone crazy! She must have washed your head or something! Or you're simply being far more stupid than ever before, and that's saying something! Seriously, just what on earth could have possibly made you want to get involved with her?! WITH HER, OF ALL PEOPLE?!"

"Come on, Katara" said Sokka, irritated "Why do you think two people get together? Isn't it obvious?"

"Well, not in this case, it's not!" grunted Katara

"Oh, fine! You want me to say it? I'll say it! I'm in love with Azula!" yelled Sokka "Happy now?!"

Katara seemed to freeze before she stared at Sokka with scorn.

"That's not even funny, you know?" she said "Go ahead and say it's out of lust if you want, you can say you like the idea of being with someone dangerous… but you're saying you're in love? And now you'll say she reciprocates your feelings, won't you?"

"Of course she does" growled Sokka, irked at his sister's skeptical attitude

"Seriously, Sokka?" asked Katara, staring at him in disbelief "Seriously? Do you really believe she'd fall in love with YOU? Fact is, I doubt she could fall in love with anyone! Be realistic here, will you?"

"I'm being realistic; damn it" grunted Sokka "It seems to me like you're being unreasonable, though. How about you do something about that?"

"Guys, pipe down!" said Aang, but the siblings ignored him

"Come on, Sokka! Wake up! Did you forget who she is, by any chance?!" asked Katara "Don't you remember how she attacked Iroh after feigning she had surrendered?! She's a cheater and a liar! And can't you recall the way she caught Suki and made you suffer about it afterwards?! Did you forget how she tried to kill me and Zuko on that damned Agni Kai?!"

"Funny, you're just talking about the things she's done" said Sokka "You know nothing about who she truly is. But I have news for you: I know Azula now, I know her well enough to fall in love with her for who she is, and I know what she feels for me is the real deal"

Katara snorted and rolled her eyes again

"Give me a break…" she said

"Yeah, I think we all need a break" decided Aang, smiling as he pulled Katara to him and began whispering soothing words to her so that the others wouldn't listen, soothing words that didn't achieve their goal.

"Gosh, you guys were especially annoying just now" said Toph, walking towards Sokka "Sorry about them reading that letter. You wanted my help to let them know, didn't you?"

"Yeah, somehow… your collaboration would have been useful, maybe" said Sokka "But I guess Katara wasn't going to accept this calmly no matter what"

"I don't see why I have to put up with this, though" said Toph, sticking her finger into her nose "I want to go back to my students… but I want a glass of juice first"

"Go get one, then" said Azula, shrugging

"Huh… I guess I should" said Toph, a mischievous smile on her face "I've gotta go greet the kitchen staff after all, I'm sure they've missed me"

"I don't think they had any reasons to miss you, seeing as they still must be mad after what happened to their stove and frying pan…" muttered Sokka, smirking.

"What did you with that?" asked Toph, surprised

"Not me, Azula's the one to blame" said Sokka, feigning innocence

"You were the one who angered me, though" Azula said, glaring at him

"Uh… right" said Toph, feeling slightly out of place since she didn't understand what they were talking about "I'll just go get my juice…"

After Toph was gone, Sokka and Azula were left to watch how Aang tried to calm Katara down somehow, but he kept failing poorly in his attempts. They didn't hear much of what they said, but the few unkind words they caught from Katara's mouth were more than enough for them to realize it would take years for the girl to accept their relationship, if she ever was to accept it.

"This is getting annoying" grunted Azula

"I agree" muttered Sokka "She's really out of line, though. She had no right to say there's no way we could fall in love and whatnot…"

"I don't blame her for thinking in that way, though" said Azula, shrugging "Even I thought myself incapable of loving anyone until just a while ago"

"Still, she has no right to undermine you like that" he said, folding his arms "And claim she knows you… she knows nothing about you!"

"And I don't want her to know anyway" said Azula "I have enough in my life dealing with just one crazy Southern Water Tribe peasant, I don't want another one knowing anything about me"

"You'll never stop calling me a peasant, will you?" he asked, sighing but smiling a little

"Why should I stop?" asked Azula, smirking

Sokka rolled his eyes and looked at his sister again. Both her and Aang were rising their voices all of sudden.

"… just give them a chance, maybe they're actually in love even if it's so unbelievable" said Aang, shrugging

"Oh, come on!" said Katara, exasperated "How many chances are you all going to give her?! When will you learn she cannot be trusted at all!?"

Sokka frowned at those words and clenched his teeth

"I can't stand listening to this crap" he said, irritated "She has no right to talk like that about you"

"She doesn't" agreed Azula "Seems like you're getting awfully mad…"

"And rightfully so!" grunted Sokka

"How about you fulfill your wish now, then?" asked Azula, smirking

Sokka raised an eyebrow inquisitively

"What… what wish?"

"You did say you wanted to kiss me in front of her, didn't you?" Azula reminded him, with an even more vicious smile.

"B-but now?" asked Sokka "I mean… I was saying that before, but…"

"Oh, please… don't you think it would be fun?" she said, teasingly. Sokka couldn't hold back a fit of laughter

"You're really evil, you know?" he said, still chuckling

"Ah, but you say you love me as I am…" she said, approaching him "… So you'll go through with this, won't you?"

"You're so sneaky, damn it…" he said, looking straight into her amber eyes as he pulled closer to her…

"I mean it, Aang! This is preposterous! It might as well just be a bad joke or something!" Katara was saying, flailing her arms in despair.

"Well, maybe! But I still think… oh… okay, I… I don't think it's a joke, Katara…" said Aang, staring at something behind his girlfriend, a blush creeping up his face.

Toph had just returned with her juice when Katara turned to see what had caught Aang's eye.

"Well, is everyone getting along now?" Toph asked carelessly, sipping her drink… and she spat it all over Aang when her feet left the safety of the Palace's hallways and returned to the road where her friends were…

And where Sokka and Azula were kissing passionately.

He allowed his hands more freedom than he usually did, letting them caress Azula's hips and waist a little roughly. She enjoyed the touch, her hands in his hair, loosening the wolf tail he always carried so proudly. Their tongues kept crashing against each other in a far more intense manner than anything they had been engaged in so far… and despite how nervous they felt for their first deep kiss to be witnessed by others, all they wanted to do was prolong and intensify the contact even more than before. They were incredibly close now, their chests almost in perfect contact, something that frightened Sokka slightly. Were they going too far? Judging by Azula's enthusiastic behavior, it seemed like going far was just fine… And she seemed to wish for even more of this savage exchange. She began lifting one of her legs, caressing his hip with her thigh as if asking him for something… and he picked up on it right away. It astounded him how easily it was to communicate with her without words…

His hands went down right to her butt, making her blush, and he slid them a little lower, pushing her upwards and prompting her to jump. She obeyed him instantly, locking her legs around his waist as he held her in place by holding her by the buttocks. Her hands were on his hair again, her fingers caressing his head. She lowered her hands later, marking a trail with her extremely long fingernails all the way to his neck, and he couldn't do anything but kiss her back, enjoying the thrill she was sending down his body…

And of course, the three spectators were in complete shock. Toph was completely disgusted, and she began missing Suki. At least when she and Sokka became passionate, they kept their craziness in private… Aang was blushing madly at the sight; he was definitely not expecting something like this to develop out of nowhere…

The crowning jewel out amongst the reactions was Katara, naturally. The girl had frozen and grown pale when they were simply kissing, but by the time Azula had surrounded Sokka with her legs she blacked out completely. Aang caught her before she collapsed, and he was attempting to revive her somehow, but he was so shaken about what he'd seen that he simply couldn't think straight anymore.

"C-cut… it… OUT!" yelled Toph, the earth beneath them rumbled with her yells "THAT'S DISGUSTING!"

Sokka had managed to keep his balance despite the small quake, and him and Azula unlocked their lips, regretting the interruption.

"Ah, do pardon me, blind brat" said Azula, sighing dramatically "I just had the urge to show my magnificent lover a good time, seeing as you all were intent on making him miserable. And then you claim I'm the one who'll make him suffer for the rest of his life…"

"Maybe I'll suffer because they're all whining and not because of you" said Sokka, grinning stupidly; a very understandable after effect judging by the figurative roller coaster ride he had been on just a few seconds ago.

"That does make sense, if you ask me" said Azula, turning to him again

"Don't you two dare start again!" bellowed Toph, irked "Get a room if you'll keep up with all the disgusting stuff!"

"You know… I think she's got the right idea" said Sokka, smiling

"Yes, none of them are capable of witnessing our passion, the power of our love makes them feel insignificant" said Azula, smirking "Let's take off then, Sokka. Give me a night I'll never forget…"

"Hell, yeah" he said, smiling as he slid an arm under her legs, carrying her in his arms now as she surrounded his neck with her arms "See you guys around, if I ever get out of our room!"

Aang and Toph could do nothing but stare at them in disbelief, wondering how on earth had such a ridiculous pairing had been formed, and glad that Katara hadn't caught the grand finale of her brother's little show…

And, once they were within the safety of the Palace's walls, both Sokka and Azula were trying to hold in the laughter fits that had taken over them. After letting Azula down, Sokka was striking the wall with his fist, unable to believe they really had done something so outrageous. Azula had pressed her back against the wall but her legs weren't strong enough to support her. She slid down to the floor, still unable to regain control over her senses as she laughed uncontrollably… oh; they knew they wouldn't hear the end of this, but it had definitely been worth it.

_**Sorry for keeping you guys on the wait for this little chapter for too long! I did warn you I wouldn't update too often ^^U but here you go xD sorry if it went out of control up there xD but yeah, don't fret. Azula and Sokka keep everything very innocent (as innocent as these two can keep it)… till Break In happens and we're still several months from that, chronologically speaking ^^ the next chapter will take place about two months after this, still pre-Origins of Pro-Bending. I'll try to get it done… but I'm extremely focused on Gladiator right now, so sorry about that ^^U Also, if you wish to read something else I've been working on, I've been writing a fic in conjunction with a good friend of mine called Apartment 614 ^^ It's got Sokkla in it, so go ahead and check it out if you feel like it! ^^**_

_**Thanks for reading! ^^**_


	4. Hakoda Part One

Traveling by air was a nice experience most the time... unless you were a firebender headed towards the frozen tundra that was the South Pole. Azula cringed and gritted her teeth, hugging herself and trying her best to retain the warmth in her body. They were really high in the sky, which she figured was another reason why it was so cold. The sunlight was still hitting them, but it didn't make her feel any warmer.

Sokka had been sitting with Aang for a moment as he helped the Avatar steer Appa towards the Southern Water Tribe. Azula hadn't been alone in the saddle, but she sure had wished she had been. Being alone would have spared her from the glares the waterbender kept casting her way. Katara was still resentful over the relationship that existed now between Sokka and Azula, and she was definitely nowhere near accepting her former enemy as her one-day-to-be sister-in-law.

Sokka crawled back onto the saddle and he realized Azula was shivering. He smiled sympathetically and moved towards her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Azula was pleasantly surprised to find he was far warmer than she had expected, so she didn't think twice about snuggling close to him, forgetting about the girl who glared at them with disapproval.

"You alright?" he asked, rubbing her shoulder with his gloved hand "Not too cold for you to handle, is it?"

"Nothing's too much for me to handle" Azula growled back "If I've managed to survive you, I'll survive your icy wasteland"

Sokka would have reacted at her cruel retort, but he looked at his girlfriend with curious eyes, studying her manner before replying to her.

"You're snappy, angry and frowning…" he muttered "Azula… is there any chance you're nervous?"

Her golden eyes snapped open brusquely and she looked at him with annoyance, but Sokka realized he had been spot-on in that assumption. He chuckled and caressed her long hair, which she wasn't carrying in her usual top knot for once.

"You don't have to be, you know?" said Sokka "Everything will work out perfectly fine! You'll see!"

Azula grimaced and pulled her knees up to her chin, not believing his words completely.

"How exactly do you know it'll work out that way?" she asked "How do you know your father won't react like… her?"

"No need to worry, Azula" said Sokka, shrugging "Katara is a grump, but my dad's different"

"Could you two not talk as if I weren't here?" the grump cut in, glaring at the two of them fiercely.

Sokka rolled his eyes and hugged Azula tighter, something that the firebender enjoyed thoroughly. Katara, on the other hand, felt most driven to vomit at the sight. She still couldn't believe it… her brother and that girl? Her, of all people? Honestly, what had gotten into Sokka? Why was he with her? And why was Azula letting him be with her? Katara was sure this couldn't end well, she had no doubt Azula had an ulterior motive to accept Sokka's gullible feelings towards her…

But she couldn't deny it was a little difficult to believe that when she watched Azula clinging onto Sokka's embrace like that. There was something sweet about the situation… and just thinking it was sweet prompted her to feel even more disgusted. She should just stop thinking about them altogether…

"We're here, guys!" called out Aang from the top of Appa's head, turning around to smile at them. The unusual pairing didn't bother him half as much as it bothered Katara.

"It was about time" said the waterbender, sighing in exasperation "If I had to watch one more second of that…"

"Hey! You and Aang kept giving me oogies all the time!" yelled Sokka, glaring at his sister. Azula raised an eyebrow and looked at him, confused.

"Oogies?" she repeated

"Uh… yeah, oogies" said Sokka "You know, when something is way too sweet and you just want to puke because you can't stand it?"

Azula frowned and thought hard for a moment, recalling a few things that had driven her to that extent of disgust, namely a family they had met during their travels through the Fire Nation.

"Huh… I see" she muttered "You and I can cause that effect?"

"Apparently, but there's no need to worry" said Sokka, smirking "Katara had it coming"

"So you're just with her to get revenge on me?" asked Katara, frowning

"Nah, that's just one awesome perk that comes with it" stated Sokka with a goofy grin as Appa finally touched down on the snowy grounds.

As ever, the villagers had ran out of their homes and looked at the sky expectantly while they waited for the six-legged bison to land. Kids were cheering in joy as they looked at the Avatar, clad in a jacket, smiling at them kindly.

"Hey, everyone!" Aang called out, jumping down on the ground.

"Aang!" cheered the kids, running off to hug him. The Avatar laughed and embraced their cheerful response while the other three bison passengers climbed off the saddle.

Katara jumped down to the ground right away, walking to where Aang was. The kids also squealed in joy at the sight of the one of the heroes who had fought in the finale of the Hundred Year War. The waterbender smiled and greeted them just as Hakoda, Chief of the Water Tribe, approached his daughter and the Avatar, with Bato, Kanna and Pakku close behind him.

"Dad!" said Katara, smiling and jumping into Hakoda's arms.

The Chief of the Tribe grinned and hugged his daughter tightly as Aang bowed down to him.

"It's good to see you, Katara" said Hakoda, patting her on the back "And you too, Aang. Seems like you've grown a lot"

"I'm finally taller than Katara, sir!" said Aang, standing proudly next to his girlfriend, who rolled her eyes but smiled at him gently.

Hakoda grinned at them one last time before his eyes darted out to look for his son. He saw him intent on helping a girl down Appa's saddle… a girl Hakoda didn't recognize at first sight. Who was that?

"They all just go greet Aang as if he were the celebrity of the century" said Sokka, rolling his eyes as he held his arms out for Azula "I trained those kids! Gave them my childhood so that they could be strong enough to protect the Tribe! And they thank me by ignoring me!"

"Personally, I'd rather be ignored for once" muttered Azula, climbing down the saddle and straight into Sokka's arms. Her feet hit the frozen ground and she winced. It was the first time she had found herself in such an environment. She had never even seen snow before.

"Feeling alright?" asked Sokka

"It's… weird. Really cold" muttered Azula "But I'll manage"

"Sokka?" said Hakoda, approaching the pairing.

Sokka jumped when he heard his father's voice. He let go of Azula momentarily and hugged his father tightly, patting his shoulder with strength. Hakoda pulled away and smiled at his son, his eyes alight with pride… until his gaze turned towards the young woman behind Sokka.

The color of her eyes was enough to tell Hakoda she was a firebender, most likely. That intense gold was a dead give-away of her status as an important Fire Nation citizen… Her painted lips reminded him of someone he had seen at some time before. The long black hair, which was loose down her back, set him off for a moment until he caught sight of the golden hairpiece decorating the half-knot she wore.

"Sokka…? Who is this, exactly…?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer to that question.

Sokka smiled at his father before turning around and taking Azula's hand, pulling her towards him. Azula's innards twisted with anxiety, feeling most terrified of what this man might say about her union with his son…

"Dad… this is Azula" said Sokka, smiling

"Azula, as in… Zuko's sister" said Hakoda, frowning.

Azula couldn't help but twitch at that statement. She didn't enjoy being recognized as 'Zuko's sister'.

"Yup" said Sokka, nodding.

"The girl who tried to stop us from breaking out of the Boiling Rock" Hakoda continued "Am I right?"

"Uh… yeah?" said Sokka, smiling nervously "Dad, you don't have to worry about…"

"I think… we need to talk, Sokka. In private, if you don't mind" muttered Hakoda.

Azula's eyes widened at those words. Sure, she hadn't been expecting to be welcomed with open arms, but that was a little harsher than she had expected. Wasn't he going to give her a chance, at the very least?

Sokka's enthusiasm faded and turned into mild anger. He glared at his father, his eyebrows pulling together as he stood protectively in front of Azula.

"Anything you have to say, dad, you can say it here" he growled. He didn't care if it was this father this time… nobody would interfere in his relationship with Azula. Even if Hakoda didn't like thinking of his son being involved with the Princess, there was nothing he would be able to do about it. Sokka wouldn't relent, no matter what.

"Sokka…" said Hakoda, his eyes stern. Sokka challenged him regardless, not caring how everyone else was watching them right now. Aang and Katara had been greeting the other adults of the Tribe, but after hearing Sokka's harsh tone towards the Chief, they all had turned around to look at them. Aang grimaced, wondering if he would have to mediate between them… even Katara began feeling bad for Sokka and Azula for a moment. Sokka's determination and Azula's disheartened look made her forget momentarily all her qualms towards them. In this very moment, they merely seemed like a pair of teenagers fighting against a world that refused to let them be together.

But the tense scene was interrupted, by everyone's surprise, when Azula's hand slid up to Sokka's shoulder slowly, prompting him to turn around and look at her as she muttered:

"You should go"

Sokka stared at her worriedly, recognizing the look in her eyes. He had seen her sadness enough times as it was, and he sure had hoped he would never have to see it again. He wished there was something he could do to erase her anguish…

"Azula" he muttered "B-but…"

"It's okay, right?" she said "You always said… you always said that nobody would stand between us. You said you'd be with me… and I believe you. Go… talk to your father. I'll be fine on my own"

"But…" he muttered, taking her hands in his. Azula gave him a weak smile, making him bite his lower lip and hug her tightly.

Azula's eyes snapped wide open because of that sudden embrace, but she smiled and caressed his cheek before hugging him back.

"I trust you, Sokka" she repeated by his ear.

"Everything will be fine. I promise" he insisted, holding her tightly.

Azula closed her eyes before pushing him away gently. Sokka sighed and smiled at her, trying to be reassuring, but fearing he would fail at that. He let go of her and turned towards his father again, who seemed surprised at the sudden display of affection, but he didn't seem to change his distrustful attitude regardless. Sokka scowled at him before turning towards Aang and Katara, who seemed quite uncomfortable by the scene.

"Hey… could you give Azula a tour around the place?" he asked "I wanted to do it myself, but…"

Katara seemed surprised by the request, but Aang smiled and nodded.

"No problem. Go ahead, we'll show her around"

Sokka nodded back at him, taking a deep breath before following his father into the large igloo that belonged to the Tribe's Chief. Bato, Kanna and Pakku went into the igloo as well and the crowd that had come to greet them scattered, the kids heading off to play amongst themselves and the adults returning to their duties.

Azula stood alone beside Appa for a moment. She was shivering, but it was definitely not because of the cold. She hadn't expected anything better, truly… why would anyone accept her relationship with Sokka? Why would his father have thought their union made any sense? Just as he had mentioned, she had been trying to kill them in the Boiling Rock. She had nearly killed Katara and Zuko as well. Why would he trust her? Why did Sokka trust her, after all she had done? Truth to be told, she hardly even trusted herself. Her head tilted down as she tried to hold in her sorrow. That was something she had always been good at: hiding her feelings. Concealing her true colors from the world. She didn't want anyone to pity her because of what had happened…

"So…" said Aang, taking a few steps towards her "Want us to give you the big tour?"

Azula raised her head and looked at the Avatar with skepticism. There was only one thing she wanted to do right now, and that was jumping with Sokka back on the beast that had brought them to the South Pole and getting out of the wretched place as quickly as she could.

"It'll be fun!" said Aang, noticing she was, most definitely not in the mood "Okay, okay… believe me, I know what you feel like right now"

"Oh, you do?" asked Azula, angrily "The great Avatar has been dejected? I find that hard to believe"

"Well, you should believe it" said Aang, grinning "I was dejected by Sokka himself, to tell you the truth. He even banished me from the Tribe!"

Azula's eyes widened upon that statement.

"He… he did what?" she asked "Why did he banish you?"

"Well, Katara and I did something pretty stupid…"

"It was your fault mostly, Aang! I told you we shouldn't have gone into the Fire Nation ship!" Katara declared proudly, her arms folded across her chest.

"Oh, come on! It looked like fun!" said Aang, pouting "And it was fun, too"

Azula looked from one to the other, not understanding what they were talking about at all. Aang could see the puzzled look across her face and he chuckled.

"I bet you're curious about that, aren't you?"

"Well… a Fire Nation ship might be interesting to see" she muttered. It might help her forget Sokka's meeting momentarily, at the very least.

"Let's go, then!" Aang declared cheerfully, taking Katara's hand and leading the way out of the village.

Azula followed with heavy footsteps, wondering what was being said in that meeting…

"Sokka, what exactly do you think you've gotten yourself into?" asked Hakoda, once everyone was settled inside the igloo.

Sokka's glare seemed to gain fierceness with every passing second. Together with his father, Kanna, Pakku and Bato, the five people had formed a circle as they got ready to speak about the matter regarding Sokka's new girlfriend.

"I think I've gotten myself into the best relationship I've ever been involved in" Sokka grunted.

"Sokka…" muttered Bato "That's the girl who was locked in an asylum for a year, isn't she?"

"So what?!" yelled Sokka "She's not crazy! Fact is, I don't think she ever was! The only thing that could make you think she's crazy is that she fell in love with a fool like me!"

"That's not the point" said Pakku "She was Fire Lord Ozai's heir, wasn't she? She's dangerous, Sokka. For all you know, she's only luring you and trying to use you…"

"To what end, exactly?" asked Sokka, glaring at Pakku "What use would I be to her? What could she possibly do to me? Use me to get to Aang?"

"For all you know…"

"Do you have a clue of how ridiculous you sound?" Sokka asked, in disbelief "That girl is the smartest person I know! If she wanted to take back the Fire Nation throne, I assure you she would have done it by now!"

"Or she might be trying to take it with a strategy you haven't figured out" said Kanna "For all you know, she truly might be using you"

"Yeah, for all you guys know about her, she might be" grunted Sokka "But I know Azula. Now I do. And I trust her even if nobody else will"

"Why do you think nobody else trusts her in the first place?" asked Pakku, sighing with exasperation.

"She might be willing to break her father out of jail" said Bato

"She could be orchestrating a rebellion right beneath your nose and you are too lovesick to realize it" finished Kanna.

Sokka rolled his eyes and shook his head, irritated.

"You're all judging her for what she's done, just like Katara does. You don't even bother discovering who she is! You don't know her as well as I do!"

"I don't think you know her as well as you think, Sokka" insisted Hakoda

"I can assure you, dad, that I know her. I've spent these last months getting to know her, and every little thing I've discovered has made me love her more! Stop judging her from afar when you have no idea what she's been through! Thing is, you're all just afraid of her!"

"As we should be" said Hakoda "She's a force to be reckoned with, Sokka! You are underestimating her. The one who should be fearing her the most should be you!"

"No" Sokka declared, his eyes blazing with determination "You all can go ahead and cower in fear if you want… but I'm done with fearing Azula. I'm never going to fear her again. The only thing she's ever known in her life is fear! People have always been terrified of her, ever since she was a child! Nobody has ever cared about her for real! And now I do… and she's happy, dad! I've seen her laugh, seen her cry, and seen her give me up just because she thought I wouldn't be happy with her! But you want to know the truth? I am happy with her! I've never been happier in my life! And nothing is going to change that! I don't care if the four of you tie me up to keep me away from her, I'm not going to stop loving her no matter what happens! And no, I won't fear her! Never again!"

Pakku sighed again, feeling a little distressed by the boy's monologue. It sounded a little like how he had acted back when he had been in love with Kanna in their younger years… But then again, that had worked out in the end. Was Sokka in a similar situation with the ex-Fire Lord's daughter?

Bato didn't seem pleased at all by Sokka's claims, but he could tell he was just as hotheaded as Hakoda. There would be no changing his mind. Kanna seemed to have reached the same conclusion as Bato. But the Water Tribe Chief wasn't done with his inquiries.

"So you're saying you plan to be with her from now on?" he asked

"If everything works out, yeah" grunted Sokka

"And what about Suki? I last saw you a few months ago and you were still involved with her. From what I could tell back then, you were serious about her. How come has that changed in such a short time-span?"

"Well, that's…"

"And if you changed your focus from one girl to another so fast, what makes you think you're not going to do the same to Azula?" asked Hakoda "What if another girl comes by and you fall for her? Even if you managed to break up with Suki without an issue, I rather doubt you'll go through the same with Azula"

"No!" said Sokka, grinding his teeth "Azula and I… we're not going to split up. Not over another woman, anyways"

"How can you be so certain, Sokka?" asked Hakoda, exasperated

"Because I love her, dad! I've never loved anyone like I love her!" Sokka insisted "I can feel it, dad! She's the one for me! Every second I spend near her feels like I've found everything that was missing in my life! Every time we are apart I can't stop thinking about her, wanting to return to her right away! I love her, dad. I've never felt so strongly towards anyone in my life… and she loves me back! She does, dad! I know it's not something easy to swallow, but if you just trust me…"

"It is too hard to swallow" said Hakoda, sighing. Well, there was no denying his son was in love… but he still couldn't accept a relationship like this one so easily "How, Sokka? How did this come to happen?"

Sokka sighed and gritted his teeth. He hadn't expected to find himself forced to tell that story to his father to try and convince him that his relationship with Azula made more sense than he thought. He had figured he would tell him about it one day, when they would be sitting peacefully next to each other as he talked to him about all that had happened between him and the Fire Nation Princess… he didn't think he would have to do it after being driven to a corner like this. But, regardless, he took a deep breath and readied himself to tell his father the story about how his love affair with Azula had begun.

* * *

Azula scanned the ship with her gaze quickly, analyzing everything with her ever sharp eyes. The vessel seemed to be, at least, fifty years old. It was rusty and discolored, so Azula couldn't determine which fleet it belonged to upon first glance.

"Let's avoid entering it this time, okay?" said Katara, smirking at Aang

"Oh, alright. Sokka might banish me again if we do" he replied, chuckling.

"Why exactly did he banish you?" asked Azula, approaching the ship and studying it closely "Looking at a ship doesn't seem like a crime…"

"Well, we got inside and there was a booby trap" Aang admitted, smiling shyly at the memory "It kind of signaled Zuko where we were and then he attacked the Water Tribe…"

Azula frowned and looked at them.

"Zuko… attacked the Tribe?"

"Yeah, but that was a long time ago" said Katara, shrugging "He attacked many places…"

"Yet everyone seems to have forgiven him" finished Azula, downcast. It was odd that Zuko had managed to earn the forgiveness he had attained after all the damage he had caused. Sure, she had taken over the largest city in the Earth Kingdom and she had nearly burned down the Fire Nation Capital… but if Zuko had been given a chance to redeem himself, why couldn't she get one?

"You don't have to worry about it, Azula" said Aang, smiling "I'm sure everything will be fine. You'll be forgiven too, in due time"

Azula rolled her eyes and walked away from the shipwreck, unwilling to show she cared about being forgiven. She didn't really long for forgiveness so badly. All she wanted was to know Sokka would stay with her, no matter if other people tried to dissuade him about their relationship. He was strong, she knew it, and he loved her… but she knew going against a father was something really difficult to do. He would have to be really brave to stand up to Hakoda like that…

"So… how exactly was it that we ended up here anyways, Katara?" asked Aang, trying to change the subject when he saw Azula growing distraught again.

"You don't remember?" she replied, chuckling "Come on, Aang… you can't tell me you forgot about penguin sledding…"

"OH!" Aang exclaimed, his eyes alight with cheerfulness "Yes! It was because of that! How could I forget?"

"Well, you have many things in your mind lately" said Katara, giggling "It's fine to forget a few things once in a while…"

"Penguin sledding?" Azula repeated, looking at them in utter confusion "Care to explain what that is…?"

"It's what it sounds like" replied Katara "You find a penguin and climb on its back, and then you slide through the ice until the penguin throws you off"

"Well, he could lose all momentum too and you can just climb off" said Aang, chuckling "Ah, that's one fun thing to do, penguin sledding… haven't done it since back then, have we?"

"No, we haven't had a chance to do it" said Katara, smiling at the Avatar

"You know, all these years I've been thinking… that's what sealed the deal between us" said Aang, raising his eyebrows suggestively at Katara

The waterbender was surprised by that and she smacked him on the shoulder playfully.

"You really think penguin sledding did it all?" she asked, giggling

"Well, it was what told me I should be with you!" Aang declared proudly "And I pursued you non-stop ever since!"

"Really?" asked Katara "Ever since?"

"Ever since!" said Aang, nodding.

Azula raised an eyebrow as she caught that information. So… penguin sledding sealed the deal? Could it seal it between her and Sokka as well? The nervousness she was feeling right now seemed impossible to appease, and she wanted to get rid of it somehow… maybe penguin sledding was the answer. It sounded stupid, but right now, she was willing to try anything… anything to make sure Sokka would never stop looking at her with that gentle blue gaze…

* * *

Sokka sighed as he left the igloo after a few hours of providing explanations to his father. The man didn't seem pleased to hear how things had ended between him and Suki, seeing how he had pretty much cheated on the girl with Azula, and he still seemed distrustful of the Princess altogether. Yet Bato, Pakku and Kanna had dismissed him, told him he could go with Azula if he wished while they finished talking to Hakoda. Sokka decided to trust them, against his better judgment, and he left the house feeling a very heavy weight on his shoulders. He didn't think being in a relationship without his father's approval would be this difficult…

But his mood improved when he found Azula waiting for him outside. The sight of his girlfriend with her hair loose made his heart skip a beat. She was strikingly beautiful, truly…

"Hey" he said, approaching the girl and smiling brightly at her.

Azula was profoundly relieved to see him as cheerful as ever, but she was still worried.

"How did it go?" she asked, as he stood in front of her.

"Uh… bad, I suppose" said Sokka, sighing "But that's my dad. He's just trying to look out for me even when I tell him he doesn't have to"

"It's not easy to take, I suppose…"

"No, but it's okay" he said, smiling at Azula and caressing her cheek "He'll accept us eventually. And if he doesn't, I suppose he'll have to live with it. I'm not going to leave you, you can be sure of that"

Azula smiled back and nodded, pleased at those words.

"How did it go with those two?" asked Sokka, pointing at Aang and Katara with his head. The two lovebirds were sitting by the large fireplace, hugging and whispering loving words to the other. Talk about oogies…

"It wasn't that much fun without you, I have to admit" said Azula "Those two can get unbearably obnoxious"

Sokka chuckled and patted her on the head.

"Well, I'm glad you survived them anyways"

"Say, Sokka…" she muttered, a little nervous. Sokka raised an eyebrow at her demeanor.

"Something the matter?" he asked, puzzled

Azula took a deep breath before looking up at him, her eyes ablaze with determination now.

"There's something I want us to do"

Sokka blinked a few times, still staring at her in utter confusion.

"And… what's that something, exactly?"

Azula grew even more determined as she delivered the great revelation to Sokka.

"I want to go penguin sledding with you"

_**And I've returned to HTAR four months late with Starbucks! (?) As they say popularly these days…**_

_**I'll try to write up the next chapter for this story right away! Seeing how I left this chapter in a pseudo-cliffhanger… (well, I suppose if you read Gladiator you'd say I left that story in a far more urgent cliffy than this one…)**_

_**In any case, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll try to update this story soon! ^^**_


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